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Aerobic | Zone 1 through Very Low Zone 3 |
Hill Workout | Include Hills Zone 3 |
Long Run | Zone 1 through Low Zone 3 |
Tempo | Option of Tempo (Speed) or Hill Workout |
Drop Week: We all get busy schedules at times! Don't overstress on your running plan! The drop week is a week that can be inserted anywhere in the plan as a week with less mileage to help you get through those busy weeks!
What Base Building Did for Me:
While I still have six weeks left in this plan, I have been able to lower my resting heart rate from 59 beats per minute (BPM) to 46 BPM over the last ten weeks. The volume of my training doesn’t impact my body anywhere near the amount it used to, and I’ve seen significant improvements in my heart rate while running. The average heart rate of my 4 mile runs before the plan is now greater than my current average heart rate on my 8 mile runs that are at a pace of 5-15 seconds faster. I am a huge believer in this plan based on the significant improvements it made for me.
If you’re a first time marathoner/ultramarathoner or even a 10k to half marathon, this plan could be extremely beneficial to help you improve your endurance. Shorter base training plans will be posted over the next few weeks.
Base Training: The Science
Base building is the foundation that all of your training is built on. This is done before a training cycle. For example, this could be done before you begin your marathon or ultramarathon training. The goal of base building is to build up your endurance and strengthen your muscles, joints, and tendons so that when the hard work does come, your body will be better prepared to handle the tough workload.
You could also use this plan to prepare for races to build your endurance. I used this in preparation for my 50k trail race, OPSF 5050. You can expect a large boost in aerobic capabilities, but your top-speed running may not necessarily significantly improve. (This is most noticeable in shorter distance races. However, this plan could still serve well if used before your specific training plan for your race to get your body prepared.) I did include some tempo runs within the plan to help support me in this area.
Pacing of Zone 2 or Low Zone 3
The majority of these miles should be done at a Zone 2 or low Zone 3 heart rate level, so expect many of these miles to be slow and easy at first. Here is a website that can help you calculate your heart rate zones. This may sound like a backward way of becoming a better runner, but trust me, it will pay off greatly when it comes time to run your big races.
Another easy, “very scientific,” way of finding this zone of running is through the conversation technique. This should be a pace where you can talk in paragraphs. When I was first starting my base training, I would often talk to myself while running to test if I was in Zone 2 or low Zone 3. I liked to keep my heart rate between 145 and 157 when I was base training. I felt comfortable and could talk in paragraphs for this range of beats per minute.
Benefits of Zone 2 Training
The main goal of Zone 2 heart rate training is to increase your aerobic capability over time. This is your body’s ability to efficiently use oxygen while training. A 2022 study found that Zone 2 improved blood flow to muscles which then increased the recovery speed. Zone 2 also places less stress on your body, resulting in less stress on joints and muscles. High intensity daily training puts constant stress on your body. Like anything, your body has a stress limit and will eventually break if too much pressure is applied. There is a time to run fast, and this plan will prepare your body to better endure that stress.
If you’re trying to lose weight, Zone 2 is also an excellent way to achieve this goal. Zone 2 can increase mitochondrial density in the type of muscle fibers that improve your body’s ability to utilize fat stores for energy. Because of this, a runner can decrease the cardiac strain of an exercise, reduce recovery time, and improve their energy efficiency.
Conclusion
Zone 2 training is a great way to prepare your body for large training blocks that put significant stress on your body. This style of training is also extremely effective for improvement in endurance, energy efficiency, and aerobic capabilities (efficiency of providing oxygen to the body). Base training is something that should be done in the offseason and can greatly improve your running abilities. Hope this helps and improves your running journey!
Thank you so much for reading,
UltraVentures
P.S: Please send us an email at UltraVentures@outlook.com or contact us via our contact page about how this plan helps you! We want to hear so that we can better help other people and to tell other runners how we've helped you!
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